Healthy and Balanced Diet: Cooking Oils

Trying to maintain a healthy and balanced diet? Are you using oils when cooking and meal prepping?

Cooking oils are confusing. Vegetable oils are good, right? You would think so, since they do extract the oil from vegetables, but sadly they are not. Vegetable oils are linked to cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, because they use partially hydrogenated and hydrogenated oils. Avoid corn oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, soybean oil, palm oil, and grape seed oil.

Some healthy oils to use are coconut, almond, olive, and flaxseed. While high in fat content, there’s no reason to be afraid, as it is the healthy fats they contain. Combined with Omega 3s, these oils help support brain function. It is best to get these oils cold or expeller pressed, also known as “unrefined oils,” as they use mechanical methods to extract oil, instead of extreme heat or chemical solvents. Mechanical pressing keeps in all the nutrients and doesn’t oxidize the oil, which keeps it free of toxins and free radicals. Toxins and free radicals can cause havoc on the body, causing all sorts of health problems. Cooking with these oils will get you well on your way to eating a healthy meal, and maintaining a healthy and balanced diet.